Want to impress the 2012 Cup champion? Ask a question, not for an autograph.

Our series of weekly NASCAR driver interviews continues with Brad Keselowski, the 2012 Sprint Cup Series champion and Team Penske driver who is currently sixth in the standings. Keselowski heads back to his home track, Michigan International Speedway, this week.

Q: If NASCAR allowed you to listen to music while you were racing, would you want to?

A: No. I remember when I was testing at Daytona when I'd first gotten the ride with JR Motorsports and Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. had the earplugs for all that. I thought, "Oh, that might be a good idea." And I was like this close.

And then I thought about it and I was like, "What would my team guys think if I was listening to music in the car because I was bored?" It felt like that would be really de-motivating to them and they'd feel like I didn't care. So I'd feel too guilty.

Q: Where did your first paycheck come from?

A: It would have been from my dad's race team.

What were you doing?

Anything. They let me sweep floors and I ended up mowing the grass a lot and mopping. I think I made like $20 a day -- which was a lot of money when I was 16. I had to work 8 to 5 every day in the summer.

One of my favorite stories about that is they had this really small trash can. Almost everyone in the race shop except my family chewed tobacco and they'd all spit in the trash can, and they had terrible aim and it'd always be on the side of the trash can. And I'd have to take the trash out to the dumpster. I'd be like, "Ugh!" It just was gross.

Anyway, the trash only got picked up once a month. Race teams are fairly dirty, and once a month was not enough to keep the dumpster from overflowing. They used to have these big cardboard boxes and I'd save them and put them in last – because you could jump on top of them and crush them down to fit the last garbage in.

I remember being 15 or 16 years old in the dumpster, jumping on the boxes, and there'd be spit and chew all over everything. There were scraps of metal and you'd be like barely dodging them to not get cut open.

So I remember asking my mom and dad: "Could we maybe get the trash picked up once every two weeks instead of once a month so I don't have to get in the dumpster and jump on everything?" They're like, "No, no, son. You don't know how expensive that is."

I just kind of took that answer as fact, like if a parent tells their kid, "The ice cream store is closed." You just take their word for it when they're clearly lying.

Anyway, when I got my own race team going, somehow the question came up about garbage. And I saw how much it actually costs: It's $19 a month or something like that and $35 to get it picked up twice! I was like, "Are you (freaking) kidding me? I jumped in trash and chewing tobacco and risked losing my foot for two whole summers for like $15?" (Laughs)

I guess it was good for me. My parents must have known that.

Q: Who is an autograph you got as a kid that seemed to be a big deal to you at the time?

A: I've never gotten an autograph before.

Never?

I just wasn't into it. I'm an adult and I'm still not into it. I don't get it.

So what do you think when people come up and ask you for an autograph?

I'm conflicted, because I hold two beliefs. One is you shouldn't idolize another man. And an autograph always feels a little like that to me. But the second is if I could make someone's day, especially if it doesn't hurt my own, then I should do it. I'm essentially an entertainer.

So I can't relate to people who ask me for an autograph. But I can make their day and make them happy, and that makes me feel good.

I've just never understood it. I remember a couple times as a kid being halfway there to wanting an autograph and just kind of going, "Ehh. No." The only autographs I really have are ones people gave me without asking. Like if someone says, "Hey, I want you to have this gift" and it's signed. And I actually like that. That means something different to me because that's more a showing of respect.

But it's sort of another souvenir people can take home from the race, right?

At Penske, we have a no autograph policy on race days. We tell people we just don't do autographs on race days. It creates this interesting issue, because there are so many people at a race, if you do one, then you gotta do a million.

But I was at an appearance at Charlotte (before the Coca-Cola 600) and it was with Hewlett-Packard. I went in their suite to do a Q&A right before the drivers meeting. You never know how those are going to go; sometimes you walk in and nobody has any questions and they just cram stuff in your face like, "Sign this, sign this!"

Every once in awhile you get one like I did with HP, where you go into the suite and you kind of stand at the front and people ask great questions. And I love those. I can relate to those. Because the people I really care to meet, I wouldn't waste that time asking for their autograph; I'd want to talk to them. I'd want to know what makes them tick or how they've been successful.

I know I'm kind of rambling, but that particular appearance with HP, not one person asked for an autograph. I walked in and every one of them asked a really intelligent question. And I walked out of there and my mind was blown, because I was like, "This is awesome. If every appearance could be like this, that's a real interaction." It wasn't just like, "Here, sign my stuff."

Q: This next question is probably the most obvious one you've ever been asked: Do people ever accuse you of being addicted to your phone?

A: (Laughs) Yep! Pretty much everyone I know.

Would you agree with them?

The thing about addiction is it usually has negative connotations, and I feel like I take more positives away from my phone than I do negatives.

People think anytime I'm on my phone, I'm on Twitter – which is kind of depressing to me at times. Like I'm just randomly tweeting a fan every time I'm on it? Don't get me wrong – I enjoy that. But a lot of times, I'm reading.

I own a lot of books, but the majority of reading I do is not in a book – it's on my phone. I barely use my computer; everything is on my phone. Whether it's emails, reading books or magazines, I do almost everything on my phone.

So I feel like people mistake that for something other than what it is.

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Brad Keselowski, who was born Feb. 12, 1984 in in Rochester Hills, Mich., began his NASCAR career as the driver of the No. 29 Ford F-150 for the family-owned K-Automotive Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Andrew Weber, USA TODAY Sports

Brad Keselowski celebrates after winning the 2016 Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts at Kentucky Speedway, his fourth and final victory of the season.
Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports

Brad Keselowski listens as President Barack Obama speaks during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on April 16. Obama honored Keselowski for winning the 2012 Sprint Cup championship.
Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

Brad Keselowski, getting a hug from Miss Sprint Cup on March 1, 2013, began the 2013 season finishing fourth at the Daytona 500 and the following week in Phoenix and followed those races up with a third-place finish at Las Vegas.
Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports

Former Pistons basketball player Rick Mahorn presents Brad Keselowski with an honorary checkered flag during halftime of Detroit's game against the Milwaukee Bucks at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Jan. 29, 2013.
Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports

Brad Keselowski won his first career Sprint Cup championship, Nov. 18, 2012 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Keselowski won two of the 10 Chase races and five races overall in 2012.
Mark J. Rebilas, US Pesswire

Brad Keselowski finished 15th in the Sprint Cup season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which was more than enough to clinch the title after top 2012 rival Jimmie Johnson experienced mechanical problems with 40 laps left.
Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire

Brad Keselowski, 28, has been a full-time Sprint Cup driver since 2010. Keselowski finished 25th in the 2010 standings and fifth in the 2011 standings before winning the championship this year.
Randy Sartin, US Presswire

Brad Keselowski finished sixth at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 11. After Jimmie Johnson hit the wall on lap 235 and finished 32nd, Keselowski was able to open up a 20-point lead in the Chase heading into the season finale at Homestead.
Jennifer Stewart, US Presswire

Texas Motor Speedway set up ballot boxes for the top two drivers in the Chase standings -- Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson -- in the week leading up to the AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 4.
Jerry Markland, Getty Images for Texas Motor Spe

Brad Keselowski, right, and Jimmie Johnson, battled for the lead right to the end at Texas Motor Speedway, before Johnson pulled away on the final lap to win the AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 4. Keselowski finished second.
Todd Warshaw, Getty Images for NASCAR

Brad Keselowski celebrates with team owner Roger Penske (right, in red hat) and his crew after winning at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 16 to kick off the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images

After winning three races, Brad Keselowski qualified for his first Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2011. Though, he didn't win any of the Chase races, he still finished a career-best fifth in series points.
Mark J. Rebilas, US Presswire

Brad Keselowski works with Rebecca Rice, a physical therapist at Pit Instruction and Training in Mooresville, N.C., to rehab his left ankle. Keselowski broke his ankle during a test run at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Aug. 3, 2011.
Davis Turner for USA TODAY

Brad Keselowski scored his third Sprint Cup win of the season and the fourth of his career at the Irwin Tools Bristol Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 27, 2011.
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Brad Keselowski relaxes before the 2011 Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 5. Hours later, Keselowski would win his second Sprint Cup race of the season and the third of his career.
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Brad Keselowski does a burnout after winning the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway on June 5, 2011. It was Keselowski's second career Sprint Cup win and the first since 2009 at Talladega.
Jamie Squire, Getty Images

After a third-place finish in the Nationwide finale at Texas Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski earned his first Nationwide Series championship on NOv. 6, 2010. Keselowski won 10 Nationwide races in 2010 and was voted the series' most popular driver for the third consecutive year.
Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images for NASCAR

"Brad's the real deal," said team owner Roger Penske, who has 15 Indianapolis 500 victories but celebrated his first NASCAR crown when Keselowski won the 2010 Nationwide title. "He's the ultimate team player."
Tim Fuller, US Presswire

A NASCAR official hands Brad Keselowski an American flag after Keselowski won the Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 15, 2010. It marked Keselowski's fifth Nationwide win of the year.
Sam Sharpe, US Presswire

Brad Keselowski was known for his aggressive style and immature streak when he entered the Cup Series full-time in 2010. "You need to be aggressive to win, but there are circumstances I've learned it's really not that helpful to be aggressive," he says now.
Andrew Weber, US Presswire

Brad Keselowski (12) flips after being clipped by Carl Edwards, top, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500, March 7, 2010, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Edwards had waited 153 laps for his crew to fix his car for the sole purpose of wrecking Keselowski.
Joe Sebo, AP

Brad Keselowski won four Nationwide races in 2009 including here at the Kroger 'On Track For Cure' 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park on Oct. 24, 2009. Keselowski also won at Dover, Iowa and Michigan.
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Brad Keselowski, shown here before practice for the 2009 Nationwide race in Montreal, signed with Penske Racing on Sept. 1, 2009, to drive in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series the following season.
Ryan Remiorz, AP

Brad Keselowski, right, is congratulated in victory lane by Dale Earnhardt Jr. after Keselowski won his first career Sprint Cup race at the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2009.
Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images for NASCAR

Brad Keselowski, front, pulls away for his first career Sprint Cup win after tangling with Carl Edwards on the last lap of the Aaron's 499. Edwards (99) crashed into Ryan Newman, left, and went airborne into the catch fence at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2009.
Glenn Smith, AP

Brad Keselowski, chatting with former NFL quarterback and U.S. Congressman Heath Shuler (D-North Carolina) at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct. 13, 2006 in Concord, N.C., made his Nationwide Series debut earlier that year in Fontana, Calif.
Chuck Burton, AP

Q: If a genie promised you a championship in exchange for never being able to do your favorite hobby again, would you accept that offer?

A: I would take it and Paige (White, his girlfriend) would definitely take it because my favorite hobby is Madden football (the video game) and she hates it. I wouldn't hesitate a second.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. You'd give up Madden forever?

I'd burn every copy I had if it was a guarantee I'd win another title. Not even a question.

Would you give up video games overall, not just Madden?

Yeah, I'd give them up. The championship is the No. 1 priority I have in my life.

Q: Here's another question that's perfect for you: What's your preferred method of dealing with an angry driver after a race?

A: I feel like you might have written a few of these for me. (Laughs) First of all, I'll say I'm not sure I have the perfect answer for this. But I know what my approach is, and my first approach is always to put myself in that person's shoes and go from there.

If they have a legitimate reason to be angry, I would talk to them about it and maybe concede that I could have handled something better. And if they don't have a legitimate reason to be angry, I'm going to tell them that.

Understanding those situations are usually emotionally charged and not full of a lot of rationale, I'm probably going to try to interject some rationale into it. Be honest at least with myself – that's all you've got.

But other than that, we're still not curing cancer. So I don't ever feel too bad when a race car driver has a bad day – even myself – because who wants to hear a race car driver complain about having a bad day? Every day in the sport is not going to be a great day, and I have to get over it – and so do others, sometimes.

Some people might not always appreciate that you interject your rationale though, because essentially they have an opinion and you're telling them their opinion is wrong.

Yeah, that's fine. That's their right to have an opinion, but it doesn't mean they are right. I'm not going to apologize when I don't feel like I've done anything wrong.

A: Actually, I get called "Joey" (Logano) a lot. Joey and I scratch our heads at that, because he gets called "Brad." Other than maybe being skinny and tall, we have zero resemblance. So I always think it's funny.

Q: If you had a time machine and you could travel to any year and race, where would you go?

A: Probably the early 2000s. I don't think a lot of the drivers who were around in that era realized how good they had it. One of the things we talk about a lot is work-to-life balance. With any job, it's a critical measuring tool. That's how much you work versus how much life time you have versus how much you make. And at that time in the sport, it was the best work-to-life balance a driver could ever have.

The drivers at that point in time were making a lot of money, they had very few commitments and the sport had a lot of positive energy. I wish I was around in that era. I don't think those who were around in that era realized it was probably the best anyone has ever had it in the sport.

Right now, the money side of it is still very good. But it's been offset by a lot more demands (on time). So the work-to-life balance is quite a bit poorer than it was then. It would have been awesome to make the money I make now but still have the free time those guys had back then.

To carry that further, because people love to compare the sport to the past, 20 years ago those guys made a lot less money but they had tons more free time. Tons. The early '90s? They got to do some really cool stuff because they had so much free time. We don't get to do that now.

A: Fly. I just think flying would be awesome. It would be very convenient and practical. Invisible sounds cool, but it's just not practical.

What would you use flying for?

I mean, just like if I was going from my hauler to my bus. Instead of having to get on a golf cart or walk, I'd just Superman fly and whoooop – I'd be there.

Q: I've been asking each person to give me a question for the next interview. The last interview was with Michael McDowell, and he wanted to know: What is your greatest weakness on or off the racetrack?

A: I don't think I have any one glowing weakness, but I have a lot of weaknesses. If I had one big one, I would fix it. That's what a lot of my approach as a driver is – to constantly find the weakest part of my game, refine it and move on.

This sounds wrong, because last year I won the award for the most poles, but right now I'd say I need to be a better qualifier.

Q: And do you have a question I can ask the next driver?

A: I was thinking when you walked in about the media in racing. So how about this: What would you like to see different about the media in NASCAR?

Q: Finally, how did this interview go on a scale of 1-10?

A: I have to rate it? Well, when Michael (Ribas, his public relations representative) told me I was going to do this interview, I thought back to a question you asked me a few years ago during the 12 Questions (in 2010). You asked: "Would you rather be known as a great racer or a great person?" And I remember thinking about it very deeply and coming to the conclusion that I'm not a doctor or serving my country -- I'm a race car driver. So maybe if you want to be known as a great person, you should do something else.

I was really proud of that answer, so I'd rate that one maybe a 9 or a 10. But I feel pretty good about this one, too, so maybe a 7 or an 8.